Better than advertised.

Coach Eddie Fultz and his Plains Trotters lost a lot of talent from last year’s 15-8 team, players like All-State C guard Kassidy Kinzie, stellar guards Haley Josephson and Natalee Deschamps, and starting center Rachel Huenink, but they still have a quality team as evidenced by their strong performances in last week’s Western C Tip-Off Tournament in Ronan.

The Trotters cruised to a 50-14 win over Victor Friday and then put the brakes on the Clark Fork Mountain Cats, shutting down the Superior-Alberton girls 45-34 Saturday.

Looking for another basketball fight or two, the Trotters now face one of their toughest weeks of play of the season, hosting District 13C teams Valley Christian and Seeley-Swan Friday and Saturday, before hitting the road for a key 14C contest at Charlo next Tuesday.

Seeley-Swan is widely viewed as one of the favorites to win 13C this year and Charlo is the returning 14C kingpin, and traditionally one of the best teams of any classification level in Montana.

“These are some pretty big games to have so early in the season but we are looking forward to the challenge,” Fultz said. “Even if our practice time will be kind of limited this week.”

Fultz said a concert planned for Tuesday would force the Trotters into an abbreviated morning practice that day. Plains school officials are challenged anyway when dealing with gym availability as the high school gym is basically the only playable facility in town.

The surprisingly easy wins in Ronan were not surprising to Fultz.

Senior Kylee Altmiller, Plains’ only returning all-conference player (she was an honorable mention 14C pick last year), was absolutely dominant in the two games, putting down 16 points in very limited playing time against Victor and scoring a career-high 27 against Clark Fork, in addition to spearing 19 rebounds in that game.

Coming off an All-State C season in volleyball, the 6-2 Altmiller put in the work during the offseason and has turned into a force on the basketball court as well as a result.

“Kylee worked very hard in the offseason, she made more of my weight training sessions than most of the football players did,” Fultz said. “She kind of deferred to the older girls last year but she is not shying away from anything this year.”

The only other senior on the Trotter roster, Miera Loberg scored two points also in limited action versus Victor, freshman point guard Kimmy Curry backed up Altmiller’s 16 with 11, Kaylah Standeford, Rylee Ganarelli, Carlie Wagoner and Krystena Boes four each and Lexa Craft and Celsey VonHeeder two apiece.

Against Clark Fork, traditionally one of the best teams in 13C, Curry and Boes supported Altmiller’s 27 points with six points apiece, Kaylee Cole scored four and VonHeeder two.

Darby Haskins scored nine points for Clark Fork and Izzy Periera eight.